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Friday, May 27, 2011

The Weekend Report: Do The Right Thing

With the Summer kick-off month come and gone with not a single $100 million opening, it's okay to be a tad bit discouraged. That being said, quite a few films performed better than what we expected. Thor proved to be a steady success, if only a mild one. Pirates didn't match the openings of its two predecessors, but it did moderately well for what we all knew was going to be a critical flop. The most qualified unexpected success of the month is definitely Bridesmaids, which is showing a rare staying power at the box office. Thursday numbers for the last two wide releases of the month are in, and they are somewhat promising.

Starting on an only moderate downside, Kung Fu Panda 2 opened to around $5.8 million, which is questionable for an opening day, but not when you realize that the target audience is in school. It's a family film in 3D, so you'd be a fool to expect the film not to perform well Friday through Monday. In fact, of all the films currently in theaters, it's the one I suggest. There are flaws to it, but it's the most entertaining and thrilling time you'll have at the movies with 90 minutes. It's much more endearing and likable than the alternative.

The Hangover: Part II opened to a heinously large $31.6 million on Thursday, $10 million of which came from midnight screenings. Expect great numbers over the four day weekend, but also expect it to drop off once the buzz of the opening wares off. I've heard some pretty weak word on the film, and if I wanted to see an exact copy of The Hangover, I'd watch The Hangover. If there were a film I would see this weekend, it'd be The Tree of Life, but I can't. It's only playing in limited release, and I probably won't have my chance until the end of June. If you're in that area, go for it. If not, go with Kung Fu Panda 2.